A Strange Feeling
by mochi2isluv
Summary: Oki's done something unforgivable, and now he has to gather all his courage to apologize to Kai. A whole bunch of strange new feelings arise as he begins to notice the Oina girl's kindness...Set before the events in Okami.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I was reading a bunch of Okami fanfics one day and realized there aren't nearly enough OkixKai fics in the world to satisfy my love of OkixKai. Mix that in with a bunch of time and tada, you get another OkixKai fic! I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I did. Please review.  
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**Disclaimer: This is set a couple years before the events in Okami, and is my version of the events surrounding Kai getting lost in Yoshpet as a young girl, as well as how Oki came to be how we know him in the game. Please excuse me if Oki seems a bit OOC in the beginning-that's how I interpret him to have been when he was younger.**

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**A heavy mist swirled in the air and clung to the clothes of a young Oina girl as she stumbled through the forest. The trees were thick and gnarly and loomed threateningly above her as she ran past. The path forked in the road, and the mist made it difficult for the girl to see far down each path. Frightened and lost, she shifted into the form of a slender brown wolf, but even in this form she had no luck discerning the path she had come. The mist clung in her nose and blocked her sense of smell like nothing else in Kamui could. The snow was falling fast and thick, so any prints she had left would have been long obscured. She didn't know how long she had stayed here, but she knew she didn't have much time left. She shifted back to her human form, her eyes stinging as she choked back her tears. Terror and panic gripped her heart. She remembered what the elders had told her about Yoshpet. _Yoshpet is a terrible, cursed forest…We Oina stand no chance in there. The mist is so thick is fogs your vision and your senses…you'll soon become confused by the paths and will wander the cursed forest until it drains the life force from your body…_

The girl let loose a sob and immediately choked the rest back. She could not leave, not until she found what Oki wanted. He told her he would join the village feast tonight if she brought him his favorite chestnuts, which were only found in the forests of Yoshpet. She desperately wanted Oki to come. He never came to any of the village activities, even though he was one of them. She found that really sad. They were all supposed to be family. Family did not leave anyone behind.

Brushing away some stray tears, the girl moved ahead, gathering the rest of her courage to find Oki's chestnuts. _Oh Great Owl Guardian, please protect me,_ she prayed as she delved further into the forest. The mist was getting thicker and clung heavily to her coat. She trudged forward and fell into a snowdrift. Her legs felt like lead and her breathing was getting heavier, but she could not rest or the madness would overcome her. She struggled to her feet with the last of her energy only to be dragged back down by the cursed mist. The last thing she saw was a strange green glow steadily bouncing toward her through the mist as the world around her went black.

[xx]

Oki dropped his kill onto the mat beside the fireplace at the center of his hut. Tonight would be another quiet night for him, which he was looking forward to. Some girl from the village had come to pester him again today about going to the feast. She often came and pestered him about things—well, mostly about living in the village and joining village activities. Didn't she get that he liked being by himself? Just because he helped protect the village didn't mean he wanted to be a part of it. He sat down with a huff and began to skin the rabbits he caught for dinner when he was interrupted by a knock on the door. He muttered to himself darkly. That made two visitors in one day.

He opened the door and his crimson eyes narrowed in disdain. It was Samickle. Oki absolutely despised the tall, lilac-colored warrior. Samickle was only a couple years older than him, but he acted like he was much wiser. He was a firm believer in following the rules, which was something Oki never cared to do unless it was in his interests. Worst of all, he always sucked up to the Chief, and soon became the Chief's favorite. Samickle met Oki's glare evenly with his own cold yellow stare, making sure Oki clearly understood that he was only here on Chief Kemu's orders.

"Have you seen Kai anywhere?" Samickle asked coldly. "She hasn't been seen since she left the village this morning." The way he was glaring at Oki made it seem like he thought the navy warrior had killed her or something.

Oki shrugged. "I don't keep tabs on people," he replied. He wanted Samickle gone as soon as possible.

But Samickle wouldn't give up. "She went to your hut this morning." It came out like a snarl.

So that was the girl, Oki thought absently. "She was pestering me about going to the feast tonight, so I suggested she get some chestnuts—"

Before he could finish, Samickle had his hands around Oki's neck, slamming him into the door frame. "You…_monster_," he hissed, his eyes full of rage and hatred. "You know chestnuts only grow in Yoshpet!" Samickle's hands trembled with anger and tightened around Oki's neck, beginning to cut off his air. Oki growled, meeting Samickle's blazing eyes with his own, and he lunged forward in wolf form.

Samickle was caught by surprise but changed into his wolf form in response to Oki's challenge. The two of them were nothing but a flurry of claws, teeth, and fur as they tumbled through the snow, snapping and snarling and trying to rip out each other's throats.

"STOP!" roared a voice, but neither of them paid any heed. The two young warriors were too furious to notice when Chief Kemu turned into a strong scarlet wolf and entered the fray. He grabbed Oki tightly by his long navy and red mane and with a strength no one could tell he possessed flung the young warrior aside until he crashed into thick wall of ice. The chief then took Samickle and did the same favor for him, so that both warriors were too dazed and confused to continue their fight.

"Have your heads cooled off now?" Kemu barked sharply at them. "Kai's gone missing, and all the two of you can do is fight?" The fur on the back of his neck bristled, and he gruffly turned away from them to consult Tuskle, who had stood by and watched the scene dispassionately. "Have you found anything yet, Tuskle?"

"Not yet, Chief Kemu," she said. "I came to check on Samickle, since he hadn't yet returned from talking with Oki." She looked down at the two of them with piercing black eyes, and Oki shivered. The female shaman always made him nervous, like she could she inside his head and read what he was thinking.

"It was Oki," shouted Samickle, glaring at him accusingly. "He tricked Kai into going into Yoshpet! Who knows how long she's been there? For all we know, she could be—!"

"Don't say it, Samickle!" Tuskle warned thrusting out a hand to silence him. "Putting your thoughts into words is a dangerous thing to do, especially concerning a life!"

Kemu had turned back into his human form, and the expression on his masked face was grave. "We must search for her at once. Samickle, Oki, I want both of you to come with me, and I want you to behave. Consider this part of your punishment, though I haven't even gotten started yet."

Samickle gave Oki a look so deadly it could have melted the snow. _Sorry I got you in trouble with your beloved Chief,_ Oki thought with some satisfaction. Still, the last thing he wanted to be doing right now was looking for a lost girl in the deadly woods.

"How do you live with yourself?" Samickle hissed in his ear when they were close enough. "Don't you feel guilty at all, you monster?"

Oki ignored him, but he felt a strange twinge in his gut at the thought of what he had done. He shook himself to get rid of it. It was the girl's fault: why did she listen to him in the first place? Didn't she know better than to wander through the deadly woods when no Oina could survive in it for long?

They searched as far as they could without fear of getting lost, but they didn't find anything. The strange feeling grew stronger and he kept trying to swallow it down. It didn't help that he kept feeling Samickle's eyes boring holes into his back every time he searched a bush or an empty place in between the roots of a tree. He wanted to snap at Samickle for making him feel so irritated.

Eventually, Kemu was forced to give up the search. The somber group headed back to the village, dreading breaking the news to the rest of the Oina. The feast tonight would not be the same without the presence of Kai, and poor little Lika would wonder where her sister went. None of them had the heart to tell her. Oki strayed behind the others, not wishing to be blamed anymore for the girl's disappearance. He walked the long path to his lone hut in the clearing, no longer looking forward to his meal. The whole ordeal with the girl had left a bad taste in his mouth.

He looked up and was shocked to find someone outside his hut, peering through the windows to get a look inside. Whoever it was was wearing a long brown overcoat and held a sack in behind their back. As he got closer he saw that the person had long brown hair tied into two thick pigtails and a smaller, yet just as thick, bun on top. The figure turned and he recognized the deer mask—it was the girl from this morning, the same girl they had looked for in the forest and had all believed to be dead. Her name was Kai.

The girl's eyes lit up when she saw him and she rushed over quickly, holding the sack out in front of her. "Oki! Thank goodness I found you! I got the chestnuts you asked for! This means you'll come to the feast tonight, won't you?" Oki was so surprised he didn't realize he was holding the bag until he dropped it. The strange feeling sneaked back again at full force, turning his stomach inside out as though worms were burrowing through it. He couldn't bear to look the girl in the eyes. He twisted the sack in his hands in the same manner he felt his own stomach being twisted. He wondered if she knew he didn't even like chestnuts. He remembered Samickle's words about him being a monster and felt sick.

"I'll go," he heard himself say. He owed it to her, after all. The girl's eyes gleamed up at him, and he turned his face away. He wanted nothing more than to shrivel up and die somewhere far away, where this girl and her shining eyes couldn't reach him. He could have forgiven himself if she cried at him, or attacked him, or just plain hated him, but this…he did not know how to deal with this. The girl—Kai, he kept reminding himself—beamed and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the village.

"Hurry, or we'll be late," she said. "And I'm sure everyone will be worried about me. I've been gone in the forest for so long."

Oki collected his wits and pulled his hand back sharply. Kai turned to look at him with a hurt and worried expression. "Oki?"

"I can get to the village fine without you leading me," he snapped, a little more harshly than he intended.

"Oh! Of course. I'm sorry." Kai ducked her head in apology and continued walking up the path in silence. Oki cursed himself for being a fool.

When they arrived, it appeared no one had gone to the Chief's hut for the feast yet. The Oina had all gathered in the square to hear the news of Kai. Kemu had his back to them and he was shaking his head sadly, as if he had already told them the news. Samickle glanced at them and did a double take, his yellow eyes widening with surprise. "Kai?" Even more surprising was the sight of the sullen navy warrior following behind her. "Oki? Did you find her Oki? What happened?"

"I didn't find her. I don't know what happened," Oki said, shrugging his shoulders as Samickle's voice drew the attention of the crowd. Oki noticed a tiny girl with small black pigtails and a leaf mask pushing her way through the crowd, and as soon as she got through she ran up to Kai and leaped into her arms. "Kai! Kai! I _told_ them you'd be back! I _told_ them!" The little girl burrowed her face into Kai's chest, and Kai hugged her tightly.

"I'm back, Lika. Sorry for making you worry."

"Kai?" Kemu made his way towards them, stopping in front of them and grabbing Kai's arms as if he wasn't sure if she was real or not.

"She is real, Chief Kemu," said Tuskle. Her ebony eyes twinkled as they rested on the young Oina girl's face. "She has a strong spirit. Even Yoshpet couldn't take her away from us that easily."

Kai looked embarrassed by all the attention she was getting. "Chief Kemu, can we go to the feast now?" she asked softly.

Kemu shook his head groggily and smiled at the young Oina girl. "Of course! You must be starving, aren't you? Are you also coming to the feast with us, Oki?"

Oki glanced up, startled to have been addressed by the Chief. "Um, yes."

"Very good, very good," Kemu said. The Chief turned his back and led them all up the path to his hut, with Kai, Lika, and Tuskle at his side. Samickle stepped into place beside Oki. Oki stared at the ground, watching their boots crunch into the frost.

"You're lucky Kai's a nice girl, Oki," he muttered. "If it had been me, I would've ripped your throat out as soon as I caught sight of your sorry hide."

Wisely, Oki said nothing.

Kemu's hut was the largest in the village, but it was still hardly big enough to fit all the Oina. A small spitfire was placed in the center of the oblong hut and the air smelled pleasantly of roasted meats and herbs. The Oina women handed out dishes and platefuls of food to the men sitting on the floor, and when they were finished they too sat down and had their share. Oki skirted the fire and settled in a spot far away from Kai, Kemu, and Tuskle. Much to his displeasure, Samickle followed suit and found himself a spot right next to Oki. The fire cast a strange orange glow on his light blue hawk's mask, making him look like one of the stone figureheads on the guardian posts scattered around the village. He probably wanted to keep an eye on Oki. Oki ignored him and chewed at a leg of roasted hare that someone had placed in front of him. He realized he still had the bag of chestnuts in his hand, and absently he rolled them towards the fire to roast, watching the thick skins expand and pop with his sharp crimson eyes. When Kemu asked Kai to tell how she had escaped from the cursed forest, he listened intently.

"Well," said Kai, lowering her head to avoid meeting the gaze of the villagers. "I'm not sure what happened exactly. A little green Poncle came and led me to a clearing in the middle of the forest where the air was clean and uncursed. He yelled at me for being careless and told me to be careful from now on. Then when I felt better he led me back through the forest, and we didn't get lost!" She sounded amazed and lifted her head, as if pondering something. "I suppose Poncles aren't affected by the forest's curse like the Oina are. Either way, I owe my life to that Poncle."

"If only we knew the way back to that Poncle's clearing, I would give him all my thanks," said Kemu, sighing.

Oki had been staring at Kai while she talked about her escape from Yoshpet, and unexpectedly she brought her clear brown gaze up to his. He startled and abruptly looked down into the fire, feeling uncomfortable. He glanced back over at her and saw Tuskle's ebony eyes twinkling knowingly as she chuckled at him. _Shut up_, he thought at her, cracking the shell of his chestnuts.

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**A/N: Please review. They make my day happy and sunshiny. REVIEWREVIEWREVIEW. Even if you have nothing to say, REVIEW ABOUT IT. MORE TO COME, BECAUSE MY LOVE OF OKI/KAI CANNOT STAND BEING CONFINED TO A SINGLE CHAPTER.  
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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Huzzah for more OkixKai! Please review.  
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Oki stood near the top of the hill outside a medium-sized hut, staring at the door as if he expected it to do something for him. He stuck his hands in the pocket of his faded red outer jacket, shrugging off the wind and snow that swirled around him. _What am I doing here?_ he thought irritably.

Last night, before he got the chance to head home, Samickle grabbed hold of his arm and forced him to look in his eyes. "Tomorrow you'll apologize to Kai," he said, making it clear that Oki had no option. "If you don't, I'll personally slice you to pieces."

Oki heaved a sigh. It's not that he didn't want to apologize. He just didn't know how to approach the subject. Every time he thought about it, it made his insides squirm unpleasantly.

_Come on, Oki,_ he thought, irritated at himself. He was a warrior, for crying out loud. He battled demons every day without so much as flinching. Why should he be so strung up over saying a few words to a girl?

Suddenly the door opened and he found himself completely unprepared and looking like an idiot.

Kai blinked in surprise. "Oki! What are you doing here?"

Oki scowled and turned away. "Can't I come visit the village every once in a while?" he answered.

Kai ignored the harsh tone in his voice and clapped her hands joyfully. "Come in, come in! I was going to go to the lake with Lika and build snowmen, but that can wait! After all, it's not every day Oki comes to visit!"

Cautiously, Oki followed Kai through the door and looked about the one-roomed hut, from the table in the center of the room to the loom by the bed with a half-finished piece on it. The hut was comfortable and homey, filled with handmade baskets and blankets and raw hide skins that were going to be furnished into clothes. The little girl with the leaf mask from yesterday looked up at him with big, round eyes while Kai bustled over to the fireplace to make some tea. She hung the kettle over the fire and said, "Lika, why don't you show Oki where to sit?"

Lika sprung out of her trance and pushed a stool towards him. "Kai, who is this?"

"That's Oki," Kai said. "He's a warrior. He lives far away, so we don't see him very often, but he is very dedicated and protects us from the demons. Be polite to him, alright Lika?"

"Un!" Lika said, and continued to stare at him. "Your hair is pretty," she said after a while.

"Thank you," said Oki. His voice was rough and cracked. It was the first thing he had said since coming into Kai's house, and he realized his throat had become tight with nervousness. Kai pulled out three cups and added the tea leaves, then took the kettle off the fire and poured the hot water into each one. Oki was glad to have something to occupy his mouth and nearly burned his tongue on the hot tea. He prayed Kai wouldn't ask him why he came here, since he was still not yet sure what he would tell her. Fortunately, she seemed to be satisfied with his answer from before and merely asked him things he could answer easily, such as his training and his life outside the village. His responses were short and blunt. He didn't want her thinking he would do this all the time.

"Is it…hard living by yourself?" she asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"You mean do I get lonely."

She stuttered and appeared generally flustered. "I-I'm sorry if I asked a rude question! I was just…just wondering, since you always seem so—"

"I like being alone," he said, and left it at that.

"Oh." The silence that filled the air felt strange and forced.

Oki cleared his throat. "Thank you for the tea," he said, standing up to leave.

"You're welcome to come by whenever you'd like!" Kai told him. He grunted in reply. He wouldn't come back and put himself through that torture for anything. But then he remembered he still hadn't apologized to her, and he cursed himself again. He turned back to the door, his hand hovering over the smooth wood as he prepared to knock, but his courage failed him. Besides it would be awkward to walk back in after leaving so abruptly. He shrugged his shoulders and walked swiftly back out of the village to the safe isolation of his hut.

[xx]

"You seem to be working harder, Oki," noted Samickle.

Oki cut down the last Namahage and glanced up at the lilac warrior derisively, wiping the sweat off his brow. "What are you doing here, Samickle?" Oki had been practicing in the field outside his hut when Samickle showed up for no reason and started watching him.

"Have you apologized to Kai?"

Oki didn't reply. He scowled and nudged the dead Namahage with his foot, then slung it over his shoulder and tossed it over the snow bank.

"Well, in any case, you must have done something because she's much happier."

Oki still didn't answer. He assumed Samickle was here just to annoy him, and he didn't want to give the older warrior the satisfaction. He stubbornly ignored him and wiped his sword in the snow. Samickle smirked. "Fine, fine, I'll leave you alone. Just remember, it can't hurt to visit the village every now then, even if you don't have a reason."

Oki sheathed his sword and waited until he was sure Samickle was gone. He disliked having people watch him while he did things, especially Samickle, of all people. Right now he wanted to hunt, and if Samickle stuck around in his current mood all the pleasure would be taken out of it. He turned into his signature dark gray wolf with a red mane and a long stripe of red running down his back. His navy lupine mask nestled snugly on his forehead. He padded off toward the lake in the area outside the village to catch some rabbits, or maybe even a deer, if he was lucky.

He sniffed the air and caught a whiff of a small family of rabbits on the far side of the lake. He was downwind from them, making this an easy catch. He padded forward, trying to get closer before he pounced. Just then the wind suddenly changed direction, and the rabbits smelled him coming. He cursed silently and bounded after them, making sure not to lose sight of them in the snow. Two of the rabbits scattered off in different direction, but Oki ignored them and followed the largest one, which was headed for Yoshpet. With an expertly timed lunge he had it pinned and was about to finish it off when he caught a scent that stopped him dead in his tracks. It was Kai's, and it was fresh.

Hastily he snapped the rabbit's neck and phased back into his human form. He slung the dead rabbit over his shoulder and stepped into the cursed forest just as Kai was coming out. Kai bumped into him and squeaked in surprise. "O-Oki! W-What—"

"You're not supposed to be in there," Oki said, cutting her off coldly. His eyes hardened as he looked down into her frightened brown ones. What was the idiot girl thinking? Kemu and Samickle would flay him alive if she disappeared again. "You know it's dangerous. Was nearly dying once not good enough?"

"Hey!" A green light Oki hadn't noticed earlier bounced up angrily from Kai's shoulder. "Whaddya doin', yellin' at a girl! My old man would have you skinned and lyin' on his couch if he heard you talkin' to a lady like that! She never did anything wrong, did she?"

Oki looked over the little bug coolly. "And this is…"

"I'm sorry!" Kai said, bowing with her hands folded above her head. "But I had to find the Poncle again, to thank him. I memorized the path coming back yesterday and thought I could find the Poncle's clearing again…" She glanced up at Oki and winced at the icy glare in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't be angry!"

Oki turned away. The way she acted made him feel like he was kicking her when she was down, and Oki had enough pride and honor that he would never do such a thing to anyone. "I'm not particularly angry," he mumbled. "Just don't do it again."

He turned around swiftly to walk back. "W-Wait!" Kai said, stumbling in the snow after him. "I'm really sorry for making you worry, Oki."

He swiveled around to look her in the eyes, which was a mistake. She had such an earnest expression in her clear brown eyes that he forgot what he had been planning to say. Why was it that she had a talent for making him seem like an idiot? His face burned with shame underneath his navy mask and he snapped, "I wasn't worried."

"Could've fooled me," the bug on her shoulder said.

"Shut up, little bug."

"I'm a Poncle, a P-O-N-C-L-E! NOT a little bug!" the bug steamed. "And the name's Issun, got it, Mr. Big-Shot Warrior? You should be bowing at my feet, thanking me for saving her!"

"Why thank you, esteemed Issun-bug."

"Why you—"

"Please stop fighting, you two," Kai said. Issun pouted and Oki shrugged.

After a minute or so, Issun started up again. "Is this the guy you were telling me about, Kai? He doesn't seem worth all the trouble getting lost and risking your life in Yoshpet." The Poncle looked the navy Oina warrior up and down. Oki discovered that he did not quite like being judged for his worth by a bug. Kai ducked her head in embarrassment. "Issun! I would do the same for anyone, not just Oki! And besides everyone in the village has their worth. You of all people should know that you can't judge by appearance."

"Alright, alright. Geez, you're too nice, Kai," Issun said, bouncing back up to her shoulder.

"Are you taking the Poncle with you to the village?" Oki asked.

"Yes," Kai replied. "Chief Kemu wanted to thank him, and Issun also wants to meet Lika and Tuskle. After that we're going to build snowmen. Would you like to come?"

"No," said Oki. He noticed what she was doing. She was still on her mission to get him to assimilate into the village. It seemed to be her life's purpose.

"Oh. Well anyway, I brought you some more of these." She pulled out another round sack full of chestnuts and plopped it into his hand. "They should go well with your rabbit," she said.

Oki trudged back to his hut with the rabbit and the chestnuts and roasted them plain. It was pretty good, he admitted. The chestnuts added an extra flavor. But Kai began bringing them over every time she went to Yoshpet, which must have been a lot despite him warning her not to go there again. He quickly got tired of eating chestnuts, and every time she appeared with a bag of them on his doorstep he felt the same uncomfortable twisting feeling he had the very first day she risked her life to get some for him. Plus, he was really, _really_, sick of chestnuts.

"…don't…"

"Hm?" said Kai, holding out another bag for him.

"I don't like chestnuts," he said, letting the implications sink in. Kai stared blankly at him for a few moments and then stepped back, clutching the bag to her chest.

"Oh," she said softly. "I-I'm sorry."

She looked around as if not knowing what to do with herself, then, with her head ducked and her arms still clutching the bag to her chest, she turned on her heels and ran back to the village. Oki watched her go, feeling a slight twinge in his chest. He shook his head to get rid of it. _She should hate me now_, he told himself reassuringly, _and the stupid twisting feeling will go away._

Or so it should have been, except she came back the next morning.

She looked nervously to the side of him, avoiding looking at his face. In her arms she held a large hand-woven basket with a lid on top. Oki stared at her. What was she doing?

"I'm sorry about yesterday, Oki," she said. "I-I didn't realize you didn't like chestnuts."

"I tricked you," he said, blurting out the only thing his mind could process at the moment. "I almost had you killed. Why don't you hate me?"

Kai shook her head abhorrently, her long ponytails swinging from side to side. "No, no, I could never hate you, Oki! You're not a hateful person!"

Oki couldn't help gaping. He lied to her and was responsible for her near-death, and she was still saying he wasn't a hateful person?

"I thought about it all night. E-Even though you lied to me to make me go away, you still came to the feast, didn't you?" Kai blurted. "You could have refused, but you didn't. And-And you ate all the chestnuts I gave you, even though you said you didn't like them. So I think you're a very kind person, despite how you seem."

Oki was too stunned to reply. This girl surprised him to no end. She fidgeted with a loose end on the top of the basket and then thrust it out at him. "This is for you. Lika helped me make them. Please come by to the village when you're not busy. Lika would really like to see you again, and I'm sure everyone else would, too."

Kai left and Oki stared down at the woven basket in his hands. He opened the lid and steam poured into his face, rising and curling into the cold air. At the bottom of the basket were two rows of steamed buns stacked on top of each other. He couldn't believe what had just happened. What did he do to deserve this?

Experimentally, he plucked a bun out of the basket and took a bite. It was fluffy and warm, and the filling on the inside was tender and delicious. He had polished off a full row before he even noticed that he was hungry. He put the basket by the bed and sat down heavily, trying to remember exactly what happened a couple minutes ago. She said he was kind. Was he? He didn't think so. He was just trying to make amends. He looked down at the basket and sighed. He'd have to repay her for her kindness today, as well. Outside the window, he watched the snow falling softly from the gray sky, and he thought absently that maybe going to the village every now and then wasn't such a bad idea after all.

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**A/N: Like? Dislike? Much more OkixKai one-on-one in this chapter, plus introduction to Issun! Any thoughts? PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed! You guys made me happy ^-^**

**Here's the next chapter...more OkixKai fluffiness! Hope you enjoy and please review!  
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Much to Oki's displeasure—no, not displeasure, more like absolute abhorrence—the number of people who had come to watch him practice swordsmanship over the past year increased from one to five. Samickle by himself had been bad enough, but apparently he decided that the torment wasn't enough and brought along Kai, Lika, the Issun-bug, and, worst of all, Tuskle. Oki gritted his teeth as he slashed at the practice doll he placed in the center of the field. He felt their eyes following his every move, which was infinitely disconcerting and made him self-conscious. Didn't they have anything better to do?

"Go get 'em, Oki!" cried the Issun-bug. "Come on, is that all ya got, you big pussy?"

Up until now, Oki had imagined the target with Samickle's face, but it was quite tempting to change it to the annoying little bug's, if he only knew what his face looked like.

Lika squealed delightedly and clapped her hands in Kai's lap.

"Oki's amazing!" she said. "Isn't he, Kai?"

"Yes, he is," Kai replied. Oki hacked at the target. He didn't want her compliments. It only made him feel more indebted. Although he had to admit, Kai's words caused a warm, spreading feeling somewhere in his gut. Maybe that was why his face felt so hot.

Tuskle watched everything, her ebony eyes glinting with amusement and the hint of a smirk on her masked face. The owls on her mask preened their feathers and hooted softly. Oki vehemently wished she would go away. Everything about her, from her eyes that pierced his thoughts to the strange, unnaturally-colored owls that lived on the branches of her mask creeped him out to no end.

After dealing with the pressure for as long as he could, Oki finally sheathed his sword and glowered at the audience. He had hoped that his glare would scare them off, but the five of them remained undaunted and even had the nerve to clap for him.

"Amazing!" Lika cried.

"Splendid," yawned Tuskle.

"A wonderful performance," Samickle agreed. "But I hope you don't plan on slaying demons like that. You lost your focus about halfway through."

_I wonder why,_ Oki thought sarcastically.

"What's next?" Lika asked.

"There's nothing next, Lika," Kai said, laughing at the little girl. "Although we can go play in the snow if you'd like."

"Me too, me too!" joined the Issun-bug.

"I'd like to join, if that's alright with you three," Tuskle said, standing up and straightening her clothes. "I'm nearly untouchable at snowball fights."

They looked over at Oki and Samickle expectantly.

"I'm not joining," Oki said.

"Me neither," said Samickle. "I have to ask Oki something."

Samickle turned to Oki when the four of them left the clearing.

"It's about Kai," he began. _Of course,_ Oki thought, narrowing his eyes. It was always about Kai with Samickle. "She often leaves the village for long periods of time, and Chief Kemu and I are worried about her safety. You of all people should know, the territory outside the village isn't safe for a young girl like her. I was hoping she came here…"

"Why would she come here?" Oki said gruffly.

Samickle blinked. "Well…I thought…"

"She doesn't come here."

"Then where does she go?"

For some reason, all these questions about Kai were making Oki irritated. "Why do you care so much?" he snapped.

Anger flared in Samickle's eyes, but he was careful to control it. "I'm the Chief's second-in-command, Oki, if you haven't forgotten. I have a _duty_ to my _people_, and it's my _responsibility_ to make sure everyone is _safe_. Even though you're a warrior, it seems like that's the one thing you still don't understand."

Oki scowled. "You sound more like her mate, the way you go on. Why don't you ask her yourself, if you're so close?"

The anger in Samickle's eyes died completely, giving way to surprise. After a moment, Samickle grinned in such a way that Oki itched to slap him in the face.

"So that's how it is," Samickle said. Oki could tell he was trying hard not to laugh. He patted Oki on the shoulder sympathetically. "I understand how you feel, but Kai's like a little sister to me. So there's nothing to worry about." Then he sobered up a little and whispered in Oki's ear, "But if you ever make her cry, I'll never forgive you."

Oki was extremely confused, and the way Samickle acted as if he knew some secret about him only made him more irritated.

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

"You have feelings for her."

"I do not."

"…If you say so," said Samickle, chuckling. "So, you do know where she goes, don't you?"

Oki looked away pointedly at his practice target. The body was badly flayed, although the stick holding it upright was tough enough from the cold and months of practice that it would be able to withstand at least a couple more weeks. He'd have to repair the body, though.

"I think she wanders through Yoshpet."

"Yoshpet!" Samickle exclaimed, his face turning pale. "What in the Great Guardian Owl's name is she doing in Yoshpet?"

Oki shrugged. "I don't know."

Samickle glared at him dangerously. "If it's because of you—"

"It's not because of me. She goes in there by herself."

Oki expected Samickle to challenge him or call him a liar, but the lilac warrior seemed to trust his words and stood deep in thought.

"I'll have to speak to her about this. Personally, I think it's too dangerous for her to be frolicking through the cursed woods. Thank you for letting me know, Oki."

Oki was pleasantly surprised. Samickle had never sincerely thanked him before. The lilac warrior went to leave, but he stopped, and, with his back still turned, said, "Oki."

"What now?"

"Kai's a nice girl."

Oki felt irritated again. "I know that," he snapped. _You don't have to tell me._

"As long as you know," said Samickle, and swept away.

[xx]

Later that afternoon, Oki was sitting in his hut, trying (and failing miserably) to sew his battered practice target back together. He kept pricking himself in the finger, and while it didn't bring blood because his hands were tough and calloused from swordsmanship, it still hurt like hell. He cursed when the fabric slipped and the stupid needle pricked him again. He was a warrior, not a freaking seamstress. He paused in his work and looked outside. The sky, which had been clear and devoid of clouds this morning, had become startlingly dark. The air was thick and heavy, too, perfect weather for demons who wanted to conceal their scents. Oki gratefully exchanged the sewing needle for a sword and slipped out into the darkness.

His wolf form would be useless in this weather, since he wouldn't be able to sniff out the demons, and at this time of day, the lighting was just as bad for both human and wolf eyes. If he did come across any demons, he had a much better advantage by staying in his human form because he had his sword and could take out multiple demons with just one swipe.

He found a large group of them in front of the trail that led up to the village. Some had large drums strapped to their backs; others were smaller and more agile, with a wicked blade attached to a thick wooden pole. Their straw skirts rustled as they moved restlessly about, and they chattered to each other quietly in their strange demon language. Oki didn't need to know what they were saying to know that they were planning to raid the village. He drew his sword as silently as he could, but a demon heard the noise and turned its smiling masked face straight at him. It chattered deeply, something that sounded almost like a growl, then screamed as it leapt at him. He sliced the Namahage in the air and whipped around to face the others, who all shrieked as they charged. He cut them away in a wide, sweeping arc and slashed at each oncoming Namahage until at last all of them were dead.

Oki looked up the trail to the village, frowning. He wasn't sure if there were more demons out there, and he wanted to make sure the village was safe. He ran up the path and into the village square, but there was no sign of any demons. Still, he wanted to be absolutely sure.

He knocked on the door and Kai answered.

"Is everything alright here?"

Kai blinked. "Yes, everything's fine, I was just about to put Lika to bed…Is there something wrong?"

"There were some demons."

"Really?" Her eyes went wide. "Well, everything's been quiet. No sign of demons here. Thank you for checking, Oki."

She smiled at him, and his heart made a strange noise against his chest that sounded something like "dokun". _You have feelings for her_, said Samickle's voice in his mind. His face went hot and he turned away. "No-No problem," he mumbled. Stupid Samickle, putting weird thoughts in his head. He tried not to think about it, but his mind became a huge white blank. Before he could make a fool of himself, he turned to go back down the path.

"Wait!" Kai said. She reached down and grabbed his hand, and his heart lurched uncomfortably close to coming out from his mouth. She turned his hand over so that it faced palm up and inspected his fingertips. "Were you having trouble sewing?" she asked, feeling the tips of his calloused fingers.

Oki didn't trust his mouth to answer properly, being occupied trying to keep his heart from leaping out, but she continued without him. "I can help if you need it. What was it? Your practice target from today?"

The last thing Oki wanted was to be indebted to her again, but he found himself nodding. Kai grinned. "I'll make a new one for you by tomorrow," she said, letting go of his hand. "Please be careful going home."

Oki wasn't sure he could make it back home safely, at least not while his brain had temporarily turned into mush. Luckily for him, his feet took charge and guided him back without running into anymore demons.

Even so, he found it difficult to fall asleep. His hand still tingled from where she had held it and touched his fingertips, and his heart was still racing. He had never felt so strange before. He turned restlessly, unable to go to sleep with his heart flailing about in his chest. It was very disconcerting. He got out of bed and went outside, hoping to clear his head with some exercise.

[xx]

_Knock knock._ "Oki? Are you there?"

Oki groaned. He had a pounding headache, and someone was outside. He didn't want to answer. "Go away."

"Oki, it's Kai. I-I sewed a new target for you, if you want it…"

Kai was the last person he wanted to see right now. It was all because of her he couldn't sleep last night and stayed up until the early hours of the morning exercising, and now his head hurt and his throat hurt and his chest hurt and he felt terrible. "Leave it there. I'll get it later."

"Oki, are you alright?" Kai asked. Her voice was full of concern.

"I'm fine! Go away!" he said louder, making his throat hurt more. He stifled a cough.

"…Alright. I'll leave it here then," she said. He heard the snow crunch as she walked away.

He moved his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, swaying dangerously. His head throbbed as he shuffled to the door to pick up the new body for his practice target. She made it very well, with tight, careful stitches that held the rough fabric together. He pulled on it experimentally and felt the strength in both the fabric and the seams. This one would hold for a long time. He sighed. He didn't know how many favors he stills had to repay for her. Just thinking about it made his head throb. He shivered in the cold and quickly withdrew back into his hut. Groaning, he flopped back onto the bed and tried to sleep. His cheeks were very hot but his body felt unbearably cold, and he fell into a restless, feverish sleep.

[xx]

Kai was in Yoshpet. She had gone there for him, to get…what was it again? He couldn't remember, but he knew it was his fault and he could never live with himself if she died. He was awake without meaning to be, his head still foggy and feverish, although he barely felt it through the urgency. Kai was in Yoshpet, and he had to save her.

He stumbled through the snow, frustrated that his feet couldn't move faster. His wolf form would be much better. His propelled himself forward as he fell into his wolf form and raced toward the cursed forest. His heart pounded frantically. Kai was in danger!

The cursed forest closed in upon him threateningly. The mist clung to his nostrils and pulled down on his heavy coat. He ran forward blindly, not sure which way to go but only knowing that he had to find Kai quickly, or she would die. No matter which path he took, they all looked the same. He wasn't sure which paths he had tried, and already he was becoming lost. He howled in frustration, and also because there was a slim chance Kai would hear, if she hadn't fainted already. _She has a strong spirit…_Where had he heard that before?

He had to find her. He still had many things to repay her for…many things he had to apologize for…

The forest had an easy time in taking him. He was already weak from fever and exhaustion. His coat felt heavy and his paws were getting numb. But he couldn't rest. Not until he found Kai…

He let loose one more wrenching howl before the darkness claimed him.

[xx]

Oki suddenly found that he could breathe, and that his head was no longer working its way out of his skull. He breathed deeply. The air was fresh and clean and smelled vaguely of flowers and some strange type of pollen. He was in his human form, lying on something soft that did not quite feel like either snow or blankets. He opened his eyes and turned his head to the side to get a good look at whatever it was that was underneath him, and his eyes were assailed by a soft green color, which was rarely ever seen in Kamui. A couple feet away from him, two young deer grazed on some herbs, not at all perturbed by his appearance. He turned his head to the other side and saw a slender brown wolf with yellow patterns on her sides sitting with her back to him. Her tail swished gently from side to side, and her head lifted slightly, as if she was sensing for danger. She turned to look at him.

"You're awake," she said, her eyes looking softly down on him.

"I-I was in Yoshpet…" Oki began, but his tongue was heavy and his thoughts were still slow.

"We're still in Yoshpet, Oki," Kai said gently. "You were very sick. You may not remember."

Oki felt like he was dreaming. How could this still be Yoshpet? The Yoshpet he knew was a cursed forest full of ugly, twisted trees and ungodly mist and pitfalls around every corner. This place was beautiful, the opposite of Yoshpet in every way possible. The air here was clean and warm, the trees were normal, and he could even see part of the night sky through the canopy. It was quiet in a comforting way, much different from the stifling quiet of impending doom that bogged Yoshpet.

Kai seemed to be reading his thoughts because she looked up at the ring of trees around the clearing and said, "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Oki nodded, but realized she couldn't see him anyway. She went on, still gazing up at the trees.

"I think all of Yoshpet is beautiful, once you get to know it. I've learned all of Yoshpet's secrets, inside and out. No one can take me away from it."

Watching her, Oki couldn't help but notice how much more mature she looked, with the way she carried herself with comfort and ease. Sitting there in the starlight, surrounded by the quiet of the forest, he thought she looked less like a girl and more like a young woman, even as a beast. He remembered what she had said and realized she was talking about Samickle and Kemu. "Sorry," he mumbled. "That was my fault."

She looked at him and shook her head. "Oh no, it's no one's fault. I'm not angry. Everyone is worried, that's all. They are afraid of Yoshpet, but that's only because they don't know it like I do." She looked back up at the trees and the snow, which had started to fall slowly around them from the black sky. "I am myself when I am in the cursed forest. I feel like Yoshpet and I share some sort of destiny—whatever it is, only the gods know what." She turned back around and smiled at him. "And I have you to thank for that."

Oki winced. He felt like she had stabbed him in a sore spot.

"I'm sincere, Oki," she told him. "Fate has a strange way of playing with people. There is luck even in misfortune. If not for you, I would not be the same Oina I am today. And because of it, we have been able to become good friends, so I am very fortunate." She smiled warmly at him again, sincerity shining in her intelligent wolf eyes. Oki looked away.

"You're too nice, Kai," he mumbled.

She ducked her head in embarrassment. "Do-Do you really think so?" she asked. "I'm just being myself…"

They sat in silence for some time. Oki closed his eyes. He didn't want to leave this peaceful place quite yet, even though he felt a hundred times better than before.

"You're very kind too, Oki," Kai said after a while. "You care deeply about the village, don't you? Samickle even thinks so, but he'd never tell you."

Oki was surprised to hear that. Even Samickle? He didn't think he was kind at all—just trying to repay debts. Kai thought he was kind though, and his stomach twisted. He didn't like deceiving her. "I'm not kind," he said.

Kai thought for a moment. "Maybe not so much in the past," she conceded. "But you are now, and that's all that matters."

Oki was too tired to argue, although maybe there was some truth in what she said.

He turned away and whispered into the grass, "If I am, I have you to thank for it."

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**A/N: WAH ZOMG SO CUTE, I'M GOING TO DIEEEE XD**

**ISN'T KAI WONDERFUL? I absolutely love that Yoshpet scene, she becomes so mature when she's in the forest, doesn't she? WAH SPAZZ. **

**ENDING IN SIGHT! Probably next chapter...we'll skip ahead about 2 years or whatever (I don't know how long it takes to get to the game stuff, so let's just say about 2 years). Yeah, nothing much changes. Sorry. I just don't see them getting together before the events in the game, plus I already have great little plot bunnies running around in my head for the ending, heheheh...I've already written about half of the last chapter, so hopefully I'll update soon.  
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**You know what to do...PLEASE REVIEW!  
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	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just kidding...thanks to Coldman9's request I'm putting in another chapter about what happened when the twin demons awoke at Ezofuji and when Oki stole Kutone. After all the fluffiness from last chapter we begin with some action! Woot!**

**Please enjoy and make sure you review!  
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Winter was fast approaching the frozen lands of Kamui, but the weather they were currently witnessing was like nothing the Oina had ever seen. It was midday and the clouds were heavy and gray with snow, when suddenly, from far to the south they heard the sound of the earth ripping and shattering apart. The sky darkened and they saw a massive, curling black cloud sweep the skies above their homeland only to disappear within Laochi Lake. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened, but it still left a very deep impression of fear on all who witnessed it. Every Oina knew that Kamui was the birthplace of demons, and perhaps they were starting to return home.

Oina shamaness Tuskle felt something else stirring by Laochi Lake that made her heart sink to the pits of her stomach with dread. Moshi and Kota, the owls on her mask, snapped open their eyes and shrieked, which only confirmed her fears and suspicion. The evil that has been returning back to Kamui awakened the things enshrined inside Wawku.

She ran to up the path to Wawku, but it was too late. Chief Kemu had also felt the disturbance and was now locked in ferocious battle with the twin demons.

"Chief Kemu!" she cried, but to no avail. He was bleeding heavily and could barely stand up. His spiritual powers were no match for the demons' evil magic. She ran up in her wolf form to attack, but the golden demon swiveled his head around and spotted her. She was halfway through her leap when she realized it was too late. The clock that had been ticking as soon as she ran towards them stopped with a final CLICK.

Everything was frozen. She and Kemu were locked into place, frozen in time, while the demons moved back and prepared to finish them off leisurely. Tuskle couldn't move her head to look at Kemu, but she was certain he shared a similar fate. The golden demon lifted its walking stick, pointing the sharp, golden-tipped end at her, and prepared to thrust it through her heart…

_BAM_! Something heavy shoved her out of the way and back into the normal time stream. She just barely managed to spot a flash of lilac through her confusion. In one sweep, Samickle pushed both her and the Chief out of harm's way and was now growling menacingly at the twin demons.

"Don't do it, Samickle!" she shouted to him. "Get Kemu back to safety!"

Samickle dropped his guard for a moment and the silver demon took the opportunity to slash him out of the way with its stick. Samickle barked with surprise but left them alone to help Kemu, who was bleeding into the snow. As much as he wanted to rip the demons' throats out now, they couldn't save the village if the only person with the power of volcanic incantation died. Samickle changed back to a human and lifted Kemu into his arms, but the cursed demons pressed closer and thrust flying icicles at them. Samickle dodged them and cursed. He couldn't save the Chief with the demons attacking them as well!

"I'll handle this, Samickle!" cried Oki, who fended off the latest barrage of poisonous purple fruits. "So go, NOW!"

Samickle hurried down the pass while Tuskle and Oki forced the demons back through Wawku Gate. They all met back in the Chief's hut, solemnly watching as Tuskle proceeded to heal his wounds. When she had finished bandaging and muttering chants, she turned her ebony gaze to them and shook her head.

"That is all I can do for now," she said. "A shaman can only do so much. All we must do now is wait, and pray that he heals."

Oki ground his teeth in frustration. He was no good at waiting, especially when he was powerless to do anything.

Kemu coughed and screwed his eyes tight with pain. "Must…say…something…urgent…" he wheezed.

"Don't force yourself, Chief Kemu!" Tuskle reprimanded. "Save your strength!"

"Don't know if I…will have the strength…for later…" Kemu replied, and fell into a fit of coughs. He moved his head slightly to look at Samickle. "Samickle…you must…be Chief in my place…protect the village…from demons…will only get worse…" He lapsed into coughing again and coughed up blood. Tuskle forced him to drink some medicine, and at last he settled down but seemed to have nothing more to say.

Tuskle turned to look at Samickle with a grave expression on her face. She bowed her head slowly. "Kemu has passed on the title of Chief to you, Samickle," she said. "Oki and I are witness. We must tell everyone what has befallen Ezofuji and take precautions against the demons. As Kemu has said, it will only get worse from here."

[xx]

Things did get worse.

It was barely nightfall, and already the demons had turned Ezofuji into a glacier. Kamui was colder than it had ever been, and a harsh blizzard blew down from the twin peaks of Ezofuji. More demons than ever before flocked to the frozen fields, and worst of all, nothing could be done about it.

Oki clenched his fists. He was angry and frustrated. At least Samickle had something to be occupied with, having suddenly become Chief. Oki couldn't do anything except slay an endless barrage of demons as he watched the cursed demon twins freezing over his lands.

Something Tuskle had said piqued his interest, though. They gathered all the Oina in Samickle's house, which was the second biggest after the Chief's, and Tuskle recounted everything that had happened.

"However, not all hope is lost," she told them. "There is an ancient prophecy regarding our guardian sword, Kutone. It goes like this: _The wall of ice shall shatter and open the way to the heavens when Kutone, the guardian sword, glows silver_. When the time has come, Kutone will glow silver, and perhaps the evil will be banished."

"_Perhaps_?" Oki repeated dubiously. "We're in a crisis, Tuskle. We need something more definite than a simple _perhaps_."

Tuskle gazed at him evenly. "I understand your impatience, Oki, but we must wait and pray. For now, that is all we can do."

_No,_ Oki thought. _That's not all we can do._ He looked at the two tall guardian posts that stood by the entrance to Laochi Lake. The guardian posts that marked the shrine to Kutone. Oki was not the kind of person to wait for fate to take charge. He was going to take charge of his own fate.

Oki shivered as he neared Kutone's shrine overlooking Lake Laochi. The intensity of the blizzard had increased dramatically as he approached the source of it coming from Wawku. The guardian sword was dark gray with a wooden hilt carved in the face of an owl—the guardian animals of the Oina. Slowly, Oki placed his hands around the hilt and reverently lifted the sword from its frozen stand. He could almost feel the power it held inside it, just waiting to be released. Swiftly and silently, he fled through the village back to his hut.

"Oki?" said a voice softly. "Oki, is that you?"

It was Kai. She met him just outside the village entrance.

"What are you doing outside?" he said sharply. "You do know this is a blizzard, don't you?"

Kai ignored him and stared down at the sword in his hand, her eyes growing wide.

"Oki, is that Kutone? What are you doing with the guardian sword?"

Oki looked up in the direction of Ezofuji, which could barely be seen through the snow and the darkness. "I cannot wait for things to simply happen," he said. "Kutone won't glow silver until it has tasted the blood of demons, I'm sure of it. I'll kill as many demons as I must in order for Kutone to shine." He looked at Kai with his piercing crimson gaze, as if challenging her to question him. "You understand me, don't you?"

Kai started to say something but faltered. She stared down at the ground and fiddled with the hem of her jacket.

"Oki…" she began. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do?"

Oki definitely wasn't expecting her to answer this way. She of all people should understand his intentions, right?

She continued fiddling with her hem. "I mean, what if…what if something bad happens? Oki, you can't handle everything by yourself! At least let me or Tuskle or Samickle help—"

"And do what?" Oki said, cutting her off sharply. "Get slaughtered by demons? I'm a warrior, Kai. This is my duty, not yours. Stay in the village, where it's safe."

He turned around and started down the path, but Kai kept following him. "Oki, wait! Please, don't go out there by yourself—"

She yelped as Oki drew Kutone on her. "Don't follow me," he said as coldly as he could. Why couldn't she understand, this was something he had to do alone? This wasn't something he could drag anyone else into, and could never forgive himself if he did. "Don't come down to see me, don't bring me things, I don't want any of it. If I ever see you out here again pulling something stupid like killing demons or whatever it is you want to do, I'll cut you down myself, understand?"

Kai's eyes were upset, and Oki gruffly turned away before he could see her cry. It ripped him apart to make her cry, but he had to, because she wouldn't understand any other way. He ran as fast as he could into the darkness, leaving her behind. He didn't hear her following him, which was good at least.

Oki looked down at the sacred sword in his hand, thinking about something Kai had said that bothered him. Was he doing the right thing by taking the sword? He shook his head to clear his thoughts. One thing was for sure, the right thing was not waiting. Oki was a lone warrior—he always was and always would be. But at least this time he was going to atone for the past and do something right. He could not turn back now, even if he wanted to. A huge demon bellowed in the distance, followed by the sound of clanging armor. Nearby, some smaller demons chattered and rustled with excitement, their red eyes pricking through the darkness. Oki readied his blade, his heart pounding with the anticipation of battle. "Time for you to shine, Kutone."

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**A/N: The ending is in sight! Stay tuned for the last chapter, and please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here it is! The last chapter of my OkixKai fic! I hope you guys all enjoyed this as much as I did! I kind of skipped through the game parts because we all know what happens, please forgive me for that. Anyway, lots and lots of fluff in this chapter, but hey, OkixKai needs more fluff in my opinion, and don't say I didn't warn you! Heheheh *smug***

**As always, enjoy and review.**

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The onslaught of demons was endless. Day after day, Oki slaughtered countless numbers of demons, but they kept coming in hordes. The blizzards only increased in intensity, and the cold became another endless battle.

As he had hoped, Oki was alone. No one came down from the village to help him, but that was only expected as Samickle was furious. He had mostly been worried about Kai, but thankfully she stayed away. Part of him hoped she hated him now, because then he wouldn't feel so indebted to her. Even so, something felt empty inside him. He found it ironic that he should feel this way after gaining the precious solitude he had once yearned for in the past.

A new feeling was nagging in his stomach as the days passed by and the demons fell in the snow and Kutone did not shine. _Was_ he doing the right thing? If he was, why wouldn't Kutone shine for him…? He forced those dangerous thoughts out of his head, steeling his heart against doubt. No, he told himself sternly, Kutone just needs more blood, that's all. Surely, when it has tasted its fill of demons, it will shine and the village will be saved.

He didn't know how long it had been, but one day Kai ran towards him breathlessly, her brown eyes filled with anxiety.

"Oki, please listen!" she cried before he could speak. "Lika has gone missing! You haven't seen her, have you?"

She must have reserved her last hopes for him, he thought. Her eyes looked up at him pleadingly, as if praying he would say that he had seen her, that in fact she was sleeping peacefully by the fire in his hut right now, trying to get out of the cold. He ripped his gaze away.

"I haven't seen her."

Kai's shoulders slumped as her worst fears were confirmed. "Oh," she murmured. Her voice quivered. "Lika…I-It's horrible, Oki…She's just a child, to be burdened with powers such as those…and then taken away…I-It's awful! It's not fair!"

"Taken? What powers?" Oki asked. He hadn't heard any news from the village since he stole Kutone.

"It's because her spiritual powers have grown so great recently," Kai said, tears dripping from under her mask. "Tuskle said that she has even surpassed Kemu in spiritual power. And with Kemu still ill, Lika is the only one capable of the Volcanic Incantation!" She became more distraught. "It's because of that, demons have been targeting her. I-I couldn't do anything to protect her, and she disappeared this morning!"

Oki felt bad for her, and he knew he should help look for Lika, but now was not the time. Not when he was so close. "I can't help you, Kai," he said. "I have to sacrifice more demons to Kutone. Kutone is our only hope for saving the village. _The wall of ice shall shatter and open the way to the heavens—_"

"_When Kutone, the guardian sword glows silver,_" Kai finished. She took a deep breath sadly. "Yes, Oki. I know."

Something in the way she said it made the emptiness in his heart ache deeper. Of course he wanted to find Lika, but he had a duty to save the village first. Didn't she understand that?

Of course she doesn't have to understand, he told himself angrily. He didn't need her to. He just had to fulfill his duty and get rid of his debt.

"I'll walk you back to the village then. I told you it's not safe out here," he said gruffly.

They walked in silence back up to the village entrance. Oki was about to head back when Kai said tentatively, "Oki?"

He gazed at her expectantly.

"I just wanted to tell you that I believe in you, Oki," she said. "I know in the end, you'll do what's right. Because you always do." She smiled at him, and his heart ached. Why did she do that to him? She saw things in him that he couldn't even see himself. He had never done anything right before, not even now, when it mattered the most. There was only one solution for this. He needed to make Kutone shine. When he did that, the village would be rid of the demons, and at last he would become a man worthy enough to deserve Kai's words. But until then, he would hone his fighting skills and continue to sacrifice demons to his fickle sword.

[xx]

Oki followed silently after Kai and the white wolf goddess through Yoshpet. They were headed toward the Spirit Gate, which was where Lika had last been seen. This was a perfect opportunity, he thought. The Spirit Gate was said to bring misfortune, and misfortune usually meant demons. He would sacrifice the demons of misfortune to Kutone, and at last it would shine for him.

"Hey hey hey, Oki, whaddya think you're doin'?" cried Issun when the navy warrior walked into the light of the Spirit Gate.

Fate sure did have a strange way of dealing with people. Oki never expected to see the little Issun-bug here again, especially not as the companion of the sun goddess.

"I have to, for Kutone," he replied. "For the sake of the village. I'm sure you know I can handle things by myself, Issun."

"Sheesh, you've always been like that, Oki," Issun said, but his voice grew faint as Oki ran headfirst through the Gate and out of earshot.

The air was warm on his face and smelled pleasantly of flowers and grass. Above him, a beautifully full moon shone in the black night sky. As Amaterasu and Issun followed behind him, he heard a terrifying roar in the distance.

"What's that?" Issun said, paling. "Ammy, isn't that Orochi? But didn't we already defeat him before?"

"Orochi? As in the eight-headed snake that terrorized Nippon?" Oki said. He couldn't have asked for anything better. Surely Kutone would shine as soon as he defeated Nippon's most terrifying beast. He raced off to the field where the great demon resided, followed shortly by Amaterasu and some fool wearing a woman's burial shroud.

"Lika!" Issun shouted. Oki looked and indeed, Lika was lying, unconscious, at the top of a small garden underneath a great golden bell. Suddenly, the earth shook and Orochi himself swirled out of the earth, hissing and smiling with hundreds of sharp teeth in all eight of his mouths.

"Better than anything I could hope for," Oki murmured as the legendary snake leered into his face. Lika could wait—after all, Kutone had to come first. Oki growled and lunged the silver blade at the beasts head, only to be knocked away by a barrier. "What?" he said, incredulous. "What is this—?" The snake hissed and flung him away as if he were nothing more than a pest.

He watched, still not believing what had just happened, as Amaterasu and the man wearing white, whom he had come to realize was the legendary hero Nagi, easily sliced the demon's heads apart where Kutone had failed. "What have I been doing all this time then?" Oki wondered, his heart burning with shame and disgrace. "I've gone through all this…and yet Kutone still doesn't shine! It doesn't even cut!"

Bitter and stinging with failure, he slunk out of the cave and ran back through the Spirit Gate into his own time. How much time had he wasted on Kutone? How much would it take to get it to shine? He couldn't depend on Kutone anymore, he thought, cursing himself for not doing this before. He would go straight to the source and fight the demons head on. If that wasn't worthy of a hero, then nothing was.

"Oki, stop!" cried Tuskle, but he ignored her and barged through the gates of Wawku Shrine. Ice and wind blew forcefully out of the gates, only adding to the intensity of the blizzard. But it would all be over soon. He made his way to the top of the shrine and leapt furiously at the golden owl, who was alone. He slashed the demon's face furiously, shouting with anger at both the demon and the sword, which still stubbornly refused to glow.

Unable to see, the owl flew in the air erratically and crashed through a wall on the other peak, where its silver twin was busy fighting Amaterasu. The golden demon shook him off, and he rolled back on to his feet, crouched and poised to thrust himself at the demon again.

The ground shook as the twin demons flew into the air.

Oki growled. "You won't escape this time!" he snarled. "This time for sure, Kutone will blaze silver!"

He leapt at the demons in his wolf form, prepared to sling Kutone down upon them…

"OKI! NO!" cried Issun, but it was too late. With a final CLICK, the demons unleashed their terrifying magic, and all time stopped.

"Curse you…" Oki managed to say, even though he could barely breathe. The demons lifted their sticks, ready to some down upon him at any moment. He wished he could close his eyes. He wished he could have at least taken them down with him. Bitterness swelled in his stomach as the staff came lunging down.

BAM! Something crashed into him, pushing him out of the way. He found he could move and breathe again. The impact changed him back into a human, and he turned just in time to see the twin demons flying off to safety and brilliantly white wolf, his savior, skid down the side of the mountain as Amaterasu caught her in her jaws.

"Now's the time to finish them off," he said to himself. "I—" He glanced at the two wolves, and at the branch that was falling on top of them. _I know in the end, you'll do what's right,_ said Kai's voice in his mind, and at last he knew what she meant. This was the right thing to do, and the right time to do it. He couldn't live knowing he had stood by while two wolves and a Poncle fell to their deaths. He raced to the tree and slashed it with Kutone, allowing Amaterasu time to pull the other white wolf to safety.

"Are you alright?" he asked them.

The blinding white wolf licked his hand gratefully, and Issun said, "Oki! Your sword!"

"Hm?" Oki glanced down at Kutone, which was shimmering brightly. His eyes opened wide with surprise. "Kutone…" he murmured. "It's glowing silver. But why? Is this because…" He looked over at the demons flying in the distance, and then at the two white wolves who were looking at him gratefully. "Of course. I understand it now. Kutone, guardian sword of Kamui, could not awaken while the heart of its wielder was clouded with selfish desire. How could I be such a fool? To say I wanted to protect people…I only wanted it to ease my guilt." He took a deep breath of the air on top of the mountain, and never felt so clear-minded. "I'm ready to fight those demons now, Amaterasu. I'll no longer fight alone. O spirits of the air, earth, and sea, as well as the sacred sword Kutone…grant me the power to save the land that I love!" Kutone blazed brighter, as if in response to his request. "Let us go, Amaterasu," Oki said, the confidence and power surging back into his spirit. "Those cursed demons are on the other side of Ezofuji." The wolf goddess howled in response, and together they set off to destroy the twin demons once and for all.

[xx]

Oki and Amaterasu came down from the mountain victorious, but Oki didn't feel it. He had been such a fool and caused unnecessary trouble for the village. He didn't expect to be forgiven at all, so while Amaterasu was praised and got the center of attention, Oki hung in the back, hoping he could replace the sacred sword in its pedestal and leave as quickly and discreetly as possible. He thought that after all this was over and Kutone was shining, the empty feeling in his chest would go away. However, the aching only increased with every step he took down from the shrine, as if someone inside his chest was ripping the empty hole wider and wider.

His eyes unexpectedly met Samickle's, and he turned his face away with shame. He had not acted as a warrior should, he knew that now. He also couldn't face Tuskle, for he had hot-headedly broken through the gates of the shrine and almost froze the village to death. He knew if he looked at her, she would pierce his heart apart with her condescending black gaze.

Lika stood in the center of Kutone's shrine, praying the Volcanic Incantation. Suddenly the twin peaks of Ezofuji burst into flame, and Oki was a little glad for that, since it meant he had at least done something right. He thought about how he had ignored Lika's safety and had instead attacked Orochi, and the aching stabbed deeper. Kai stood nearby, but he didn't want to think about her at all. Thinking about her made his heart hurt worse than anything, and among everyone, she was the last person he thought he could face at this moment.

"Oki." Samickle stood in front of him, and unreadable expression in his yellow eyes. Behind him stood Tuskle, who watched on gravely. Oki looked down, ashamed. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused—" he began, but Samickle cut him off with a huff.

"You fool. Before you apologize, at least show some respect and look at your Chief," he said. Oki looked up and was surprised to see Samickle's outstretched hand.

"Eh?" he said.

"You must really be an idiot, Oki," Samickle reprimanded. "The Chief is forgiving you. Do you accept or not?"

Oki blinked and felt the emptiness fill up a little. Samickle was forgiving him? Did that mean he was still accepted into the village? Until now, Oki hadn't realized how much he missed everyone. Since when did he have a change of heart?

Oki accepted Samickle's handshake, and he caught a glimpse of a twinkle in the lilac Chief's eyes. "It's good to have you back, Oki," he said warmly.

Oki nodded, feeling happier than he had felt in a long time. He took Kutone in his hands. "You've fulfilled your duty, Kutone," he said, and reverently returned the blade back to its pedestal, bowing as he stepped back. The sacred sword still blazed, and suddenly it shot out at the lake in a bright beam of light. The thick ice cracked, and the Ark of Yamato lying in the middle suddenly rose out of the icy depths.

"_The wall of ice shall shatter and open the way to the heavens when Kutone, the guardian sword, glows silver_," Oki said. "So that's what the prophecy meant." But that was another adventure for another being, and he bade farewell to Amaterasu as she boarded the Ark.

The Oina headed back home after giving Amaterasu their thanks and good luck, and Samickle pulled Oki aside. "There are many things I want to talk to you about, Oki," he said seriously, and Oki somehow had a bad feeling about it. Samickle laughed. "Oki, I'm not going to go back on my promise. You've been a fool and an idiot, but in the end you did what was right, and that's all that matters now."

They arrived at Samickle's hut and he welcomed Oki inside. "You know, you said the same thing as her," Oki said softly.

Samickle blinked. "As who?"

"Kai."

"Ah," said Samickle wisely, as if he understood everything. "You know, Oki, it was actually Kai I wanted to talk about."

Oki sighed. "I thought so." It was always Kai, after all.

"You love her, don't you?" Oki startled. Was Samickle still going on about that, he wondered a little irritably. Although he had to admit, perhaps he was right. The aching in his chest still hadn't gone away completely, and when he tried thinking about her it only ached more. Samickle went on. "She had the most faith in you out of anyone, you know. The least you can do is thank her for it. You didn't say a word to her when you came back."

Oki looked away. "I didn't say a word to a lot of people, Samickle," he replied.

"Oki," Samickle said sternly. "You _are_ going to talk to her, aren't you?"

Oki shifted uncomfortably. He had been thinking about this ever since he came down from the mountain after helping Amaterasu defeat the twin demons. He could only come up with one solution that would relieve him of his guilt.

"But I don't deserve her, much less talk to her."

Samickle whipped around and slapped Oki in the face, and the stunned warrior looked up at him shock. The Chief growled deep within his throat, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. "You fool! That's not your decision to make!" Samickle's eyes flashed dangerously. "Do you know how much pain you have caused her? Do you know how much faith she had in you, even after you trampled her so many times?"

_Yes,_ Oki thought miserably. _Yes, I know._

"I will only cause her more pain. It'd be better if she forgot me."

"You selfish brat!" Samickle hissed, slapping him across the face again. "What are you, a warrior? You're running away like a coward! Get up, you fool! Face her honestly and ask her if she thinks you don't deserve her, then you can come crawling on your stomach back to me! Now get out of my house!"

Samickle kicked Oki into the snow and slammed the door behind him. Oki didn't dare go back inside, even though he dreaded the thought of facing Kai alone. She always managed to turn his stomach inside out so that he was never sure what to say. He had charged face first through the Spirit Gate without knowing what he'd find and faced the evil twin demons at the top of Ezofuji without so much as flinching, yet the prospect of telling a girl he had known for years that he loved her absolutely terrified him. He wasn't even sure she felt the same way. What if it was all a horrible mistake, and she was only nice to him because that's how she was to everyone? If that was really how it was, Oki would disembowel Samickle for forcing him into this and then bury himself in the snow in some remote place in Yoshpet where they would never find his remains. Oh gods, he _was_ a coward.

It took every ounce of his courage to move himself from the Chief's hut to Kai's, which was only a short distance away but felt miles long. He knocked on the door, his heart pounding uncomfortably in his chest until the door opened and it almost stopped completely. He would have run away right then and there, but with a great amount of effort he remained in place and managed to say, "I want to talk to you."

"Okay," said Kai, sounding puzzled yet pleased. "Please make yourself comfortable. If you wait a moment I'll get some tea."

Oki was disappointed to see that Lika wasn't there. He had hoped she would be, so then he would have some excuse to postpone this confession. He shuffled his feet and stood awkwardly by the door, mentally preparing for what he was about to say.

"Kai!" he said sharply. She looked up, alarmed by the tone of his voice. He opened his mouth, temporarily forgetting what he wanted to say. Being in Kai's house had a way of doing that to him, he thought ruefully.

"Do you want to sit down, Oki?" Kai asked, tilting her head with concern.

"No, I just…just wanted to say thanks. Samickle told me to." Gah, what was that, he cursed himself silently. Couldn't he at least sound more thankful than that? He took a deep breath. By this point, his heart was flopping around in his chest like a useless fish on the shore.

"I mean, I've wanted to thank you too, for-for everything. And I wanted to say sorry. For…a lot of things. Like looking for Lika. And being selfish. I'm not the kind person you say I am, and you've always believed in me no matter what I did, and I felt bad for it, and well, you're just too nice," he finished lamely. Kai looked at him strangely. Was all this really so weird of him to say?

But she didn't say what he expected. She looked up at him with her clear brown eyes and said, "Oki, I wasn't being nice. When I said all those things, they were the truth. You saved Amaterasu at Wawku with your compassion, and in the end you saved us all with your courage. You had it in you from the start, so please, there's no need to thank me for anything. Ah! There's my kettle!"

She hummed happily to herself as she stoked the coals, and Oki decided to say something. Not because Samickle told him to, or because he wanted her to feel the same way, but simply because it was the truth.

"Kai, I love you."

_Clang._ Kai had dropped the kettle and stared, frozen, into the fireplace. Oki wished he could see what kind of expression she had on her face so he could get rid of this anxious, sick feeling in his stomach that crept in as soon as the words escaped his mouth. "Kai?" he asked softly, daring a step forward. Kai gasped and hurriedly turned her face away. "Don't look!"

Oki felt like his heart had been impaled with an icicle. Did he do something wrong? Was this her way of rejecting him? He moved closer, peering around her to look at her face.

"No!" she squeaked. "I-I—my face—"

Slowly, Oki lifted her mask. She squeaked and brought up her hands to hide her face, but he caught a glimpse of bright red cheeks between her fingers.

"O-Oki," she stammered from behind her hands. "D-Did you just say you…l-love me?"

Oki's heart nearly stopped for the second time that day. "Yes," he managed hoarsely. Before he knew what was happening, Kai lifted her hands away from her face and lifted his mask to reveal his own furious crimson blush. He didn't even have time to admire how her eyes looked in her face before she brought her face over to his and kissed him softly on the mouth. His heart transformed from a fish to a rabbit and did a couple back flips in the air. She took herself away and murmured, "I love you too."

Oki blinked rapidly, wondering if this was a dream. Kai looked up at him with the same brown eyes he had seen countless times before, but this was different because they were set in a smooth, delicate face. His eyes took in her high cheekbones and slender jaw line, and when he looked down at her lips he blushed, thinking of their kiss. He was sure he had a dumb expression on his face, but he was too busy admiring Kai to notice, or care.

Kai leaned forward and kissed him again. Then she suddenly smiled, and her features looked even more beautiful. "Oki, you're smiling!"

"I am?" he said, bringing a hand up to his face.

Just then Lika came through the door, and her eyes went wide. "Kai, why aren't you and Oki wearing masks? I thought only family members and mates don't wear masks!"

Kai ducked her head, blushing. "Well, Oki and I are going to be mates," she said, then abruptly looked at Oki, stammering. "T-That is, if you also agree, Oki…"

"Of course," he replied. How could she not think that, after he already told her he loved her?

Lika clapped her hands and giggled gleefully. She opened the door and shouted outside, "Everyone, they finally did it!"

"What the—" Oki swore and threw his mask back on, with Kai quickly following suit. Outside Kai's hut, the entire village had gathered, and when Oki and Kai appeared at the doorway behind Lika, they all cheered. Kai nearly fainted with embarrassment. Samickle stood at the front with his arms folded over his chest, grinning like a madman. "Damn you, Samickle," Oki muttered, his face blushing furiously. He decided to kill the lilac Chief later.

"We just stopped by to tell you about the feast tonight in celebration of defeating the demons," Samickle said, still grinning wildly. "Although this is a pleasant surprise, too."

_Don't give me that "just stopped by," nonsense, you brought the whole village_, Oki thought, but somehow found himself grinning too. Maybe it was because Kai looked so happy, or because smiling was contagious, and seeing all the villagers out there smiling made him smile too. But whatever the reason, he had never felt like this before. Like his heart was so full it was going to burst.

They all gathered in Kemu's hut, and this time Oki sat next to the Chief in the place of honor, with Kai at his side. And Lika told her story of how she was kidnapped and how she came to be in Orochi's lair, and Oki ate some of Kai's delicious dumplings. And throughout the whole time, Oki thought to himself: _Perhaps I could get used to this._

_

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_**A/N: Yay! The end! I had a beautiful picture I wanted to share with all you OkixKai fans that served as inspiration for this fic (besides all your splendid reviews, of course, because I live off those) but it's not letting me post the URL. T^T Oh well. If you want to see it go to photobucket and search under Okami Oki and Kai and you'll probably find it since there aren't many OkixKai artworks, unfortunately. T^T**

**Anyway, let me know what you thought of my first completed multi-chapter work. Thanks so much for reading (and reviewing, of course)!**


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